Lenny's PodcastEli Schwartz: Why AI is killing top-of-funnel SEO content
Through Zapier integration and Tinder local pages, Eli Schwartz: reframes SEO as a product job, where rankings without conversions are vanity metrics.
At a glance
WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT
AI reshapes SEO: shift from keyword content to product journeys
- Eli Schwartz argues that generative AI and Google’s AI Overviews are killing old-school, top-of-funnel, keyword-and-blog-post SEO, but not SEO itself. Discovery-style queries and generic informational content are increasingly answered directly in search, while mid- and bottom-funnel, high-intent searches remain a major opportunity.
- He frames SEO as a product problem, not a pure marketing tactic: PMs should design SEO experiences as part of the user and buyer journey, with success measured in conversions and business impact, not rankings or traffic alone.
- Programmatic, product-led SEO—like Zapier’s integrations, Tinder’s local loneliness pages, TripAdvisor and Zillow’s data-driven pages—outperforms generic editorial content, especially when tied directly to what the company actually monetizes.
- AI is both a threat (mass low-quality content, top-of-funnel cannibalization) and a tool (cheaper useful content, better structured information). Companies must decide if SEO even makes sense for their model, then invest with clear expectations on cost, timelines, and conversion-driven outcomes.
IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING
5 ideasStop chasing top-of-funnel keywords; focus on mid-funnel intent.
AI Overviews and LLMs are absorbing broad, discovery queries (e.g., “best beach vacations”), then pushing users downstream. The defensible SEO opportunity is around mid- and bottom-funnel searches where users already know what they want and are close to taking action.
Treat SEO as a product, not a marketing afterthought.
Product managers should own SEO strategy in partnership with marketing, designing specific pages and flows for users who arrive via search. That means user research, UX, engineering, and measurement tied to real business outcomes—not just “we published a blog post.”
Only do SEO if there’s a real search-based buyer journey.
If you can’t clearly answer, “What problem is someone Googling right before they should find us?” you probably shouldn’t invest in SEO. Many B2B SaaS and enterprise tools convert via sales, events, or brand—spending heavily on SEO often loses to channels with clearer ROI.
Build programmatic, product-led SEO experiences over generic blogs.
Winners like Zapier (integration pages), Tinder (local dating pages), TripAdvisor (hotel pages), and Zillow (property pages) use data and templates to create thousands of useful, intent-matched pages that directly showcase the product. Programmatic only works when every page logically ties into what you sell.
Measure SEO by conversions and business impact, not traffic or rankings.
Vanity metrics like “organic traffic” and “#1 for X keyword” often mask the fact that visitors don’t buy, sign up, or become leads. Set KPIs like MQLs, revenue, or key actions (e.g., downloads, bookings), and treat SEO with the same rigor as paid acquisition.
WORDS WORTH SAVING
5 quotesIf you can’t answer the question about what it is that someone’s going to do a search on, then don’t do SEO.
— Eli Schwartz
SEO is not a dark art. It is simple.
— Eli Schwartz
Up until AI overviews, whoever won that long form piece of content would get that first click. But now that doesn’t exist anymore.
— Eli Schwartz
I think of SEO as a product, and I think the product managers are the people that should be thinking about this SEO question because it’s a product question.
— Eli Schwartz
Most companies should just not write a lot of content unless they’re a media company.
— Eli Schwartz
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